Commodities News and Headlines
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Every morning
Weekly
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Smaller Japanese companies across auto parts, plastics, and trucking are feeling the impact of the largest Middle East oil‑supply disruption in decades. Crude prices have jumped to multi‑year highs, driving up fuel and raw‑material costs for firms that typically operate on thin margins. Many of these SMEs lack sophisticated hedging strategies, leaving earnings vulnerable to the price swing. Industry groups warn that prolonged high oil prices could force cost‑cutting measures and threaten profitability.
Thungela Resources reported a full‑year loss of R7.1 billion (≈$374 million) after taking an R8.8 billion (≈$463 million) asset impairment tied to a steep drop in thermal‑coal prices. South African export coal fell 20% to $89.53 per ton and Australian Ensham prices slipped 17%...
Australia’s National Farmers’ Federation warns that soaring diesel prices, triggered by the US‑Israel war on Iran, will soon push grocery costs higher. Farmers are struggling to secure fuel for operations, while transport firms face mounting freight expenses. The National Road...
The UK government will double import duties on foreign steel to 50% and slash import quotas by 60% from July, aiming to protect domestic steelmakers. HS2 contractor Mace warned the move will exacerbate already‑inflated construction costs, as the Iran‑war energy...
Crude oil futures surged on Monday as US‑Iran tensions escalated, pushing Brent crude above $108 per barrel and WTI close to $99. The rise was sparked by President Trump’s ultimatum to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s retaliatory...
Gold prices slumped on March 23, pulling down the shares of India’s leading gold‑loan financiers. Manappuram Finance fell about 3% while Muthoot Finance dropped more than 5% in early trading. The decline also spread to jewellery retailers, with stocks like...
Gold’s price has slumped more than 15% this month as stagflation concerns surge following the Iran war, and the market now assigns roughly a 30% chance of a Fed rate hike by year‑end, up from expectations of multiple cuts a...
Copper slipped to its lowest level in over three months, falling 1.8% on the London Metal Exchange after a 6.7% plunge last week. The decline was triggered by heightened risk aversion stemming from the ongoing Middle East conflict, which pushed...
CERAWeek in Houston is set to host over 10,000 energy leaders as the Middle East war triggers the biggest oil disruption in history. Attendees include S&P Global’s Daniel Yergin, EDF’s Mark Brownstein, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and CEOs from...
Chinese pig prices have fallen to their lowest level in 15 years, pushing producer margins to a four‑year low. Weak domestic pork consumption and rising feed costs linked to the war in Iran are deepening farmer losses. The government has...
Shell Trading secured the largest share of the first Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) release, receiving 16.2 million barrels, followed by Trafigura (8.86 mn bl) and Marathon Petroleum (7.7 mn bl). The U.S. Department of Energy is delivering 45.2 million barrels of sweet and sour crude from...
Coal is re‑emerging as a key fallback fuel after the Iran‑triggered Operation Epic Fury disrupted global gas supplies. The International Energy Agency now projects 2026 coal demand at a record 8.85 bn tonnes, a 0.5% rise, while thermal‑coal prices have jumped...
U.S. gasoline prices have jumped over 30% in a month, with the national average climbing to $3.88 per gallon from $2.93. The article argues that the single dominant factor is the global price of crude oil, which is rising due...
Oil futures surged on Monday as U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran of bombing its power plants unless the Strait of Hormuz reopened within 48 hours. Brent crude rose 1.27% to about $113.5 a barrel and WTI to $99, pushing...
Bloomberg’s Emerging Markets podcast notes that soaring oil prices have forced a revision of global interest‑rate expectations, unsettling the once‑popular strategy of investing in emerging‑market local‑currency bonds. The energy price shock is prompting investors to unwind positions as higher rates...
Equity markets are underestimating the risk of a major energy shock from a potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which could choke global oil and LNG supplies. While U.S. economic growth remains solid, driven by fiscal stimulus and a manufacturing...
India’s coal imports slipped 4.2% to 213.1 million tonnes in the April‑January window, with non‑coking imports falling to 127.8 MT while coking imports rose modestly to 50.4 MT. The decline reflects a deliberate push toward self‑reliance as domestic output expands. Seaborne coal prices...
The Philippines imports roughly 60% of its coffee, leaving the market vulnerable to global price swings. Nestlé Philippines, which generates $3.2 billion annually, sources only 20% of its Nescafé beans locally and is spearheading a push for self‑sufficiency. Domestic green‑bean output...
In West Texas, abundant natural gas produced alongside oil is driving spot prices into negative territory because pipelines and export terminals cannot absorb the surplus. Crude oil prices have surged amid supply disruptions from the Iran war, prompting drillers to...
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Turkey eliminated the special consumption tax (OTV) on diesel on 20 March, causing the tax buffer to disappear as oil prices and refinery margins surge. The government’s “echelle mobile” mechanism now deducts 75 % of required price hikes from OTV, leaving the...
The Cboe Crude Oil ETF Volatility Index (OVX) has surged to 108, roughly three times its level at the start of 2026, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran disrupts about 20% of Persian Gulf oil output. This spike eclipses volatility...
Global LNG supply disruptions, highlighted by Qatar’s Ras Laffan plant shutdown, have removed roughly 14 % of monthly forecast capacity, pushing European natural‑gas prices up about 65 % to multi‑year highs. The tightening market creates investment opportunities in un‑hedged upstream firms and commodity‑focused...
The European Commission has asked EU member states to cut their natural‑gas storage target to 80% of capacity, ten points below the official goal, and to begin refilling reserves gradually. The request follows a sharp 35% surge in European gas...
Gold junior stocks have slumped more than 30% as the sector wrestles with the steepest price retreat in six years, yet the metal still trades about 35% above its 2025 average. Rumble Resources (ASX: RUM) has fallen to a $53 million...
The Philippines' Sugar Regulatory Administration imported 424,000 metric tons of sugar, far exceeding the industry‑recommended 150,000 tons, creating a massive oversupply. The glut drove cane prices down 38% and molasses prices down 56%, pushing farm‑gate rates below production costs. The...
India’s crude oil imports plunged 23% in the first half of March as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed, sharply curtailing Gulf deliveries. Refiners responded by nearly doubling purchases from Russia, which now accounts for about 44% of total imports,...
State‑run oil firms raised bulk diesel prices by roughly ₹22 per litre, a 25 percent jump, to cushion soaring crude costs linked to the Iran war. Retail premium petrol saw a modest ₹2 per litre increase while regular grades stayed unchanged....
Oil prices are edging toward $100 a barrel for Brent crude as the Iran war disrupts the Strait of Hormuz, pushing national gasoline averages to $3.91 and squeezing low‑income households. Economists warn the ripple effect will raise costs for everything...
QatarEnergy announced it will invoke a multiyear force majeure on several long‑term LNG contracts after two of its export trains were struck by Iranian missile attacks. The suspension affects key offtakers across Asia and Europe, potentially curtailing deliveries for years....
The war in Iran and attacks on Qatar's Ras Laffan terminal have driven European spot LNG prices above $20 per million British thermal units, more than double pre‑conflict levels. This price surge fuels concerns that volatility could erode buyer confidence...
The United States has remained largely untouched by the recent turmoil in global gas markets caused by the Middle East conflict. Domestic natural‑gas production is at a record high, and LNG export terminals are operating near full capacity. Spot gas...
Rising geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Middle East energy infrastructure have driven oil and natural gas prices to new highs. Despite the price surge, operators in the Permian Basin are not accelerating associated gas production,...
West Texas natural‑gas prices have plunged to historic lows as a combination of robust Permian output, seasonally weak demand, and unexpected pipeline outages throttles transportation capacity. The bottleneck forces producers to offer cash incentives for customers to take gas that...
Argentina exported 50,000 metric tonnes of LPG to India in the first quarter of 2026, more than double the 22,000 tonnes shipped to the country in all of 2025. The surge reflects Argentina’s steady rise in LPG output, which reached...
Analysts are split on whether India will boost imports of Canadian green lentils as the government’s pigeon‑pea procurement under the minimum support price (MSP) program stalls. While the Ministry sanctioned 2.2 million tonnes for the 2025‑26 kharif year, market prices above...
Oil prices surged as the Iran‑U.S. conflict entered its third week, pushing Brent crude above $112 per barrel, the highest level since July 2022. The near‑closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about 20% of global oil shipments, and...
Minnesota farmer George Goblish bought all his fertilizer in the fall, shielding his 2026 corn‑soybean operation from a sharp price surge. Current fertilizer costs are described as outrageously high, forcing growers to reconsider planting decisions. The inflated prices could tilt...
American Sugarbeet Growers Association reports that beet farmers lost an average of $500 per acre in 2025, a loss driven by a 30% drop in sugar prices and a 40% rise in input costs. The financial strain is compounded by...
Canada pledged to add roughly 130,000 barrels per day to meet the IEA’s 400‑million‑barrel oil‑supply initiative, but seasonal maintenance, limited pipeline space and wildfire risk threaten that goal. Upstream firms have already scheduled over 300,000 bpd of spring turnarounds and...
Iraq has instructed international oil companies operating in the country to curb output, invoking force majeure retroactively to March 3 because export routes through Basrah are effectively blocked. The loss of roughly 3.4 million barrels per day of export capacity follows a...
Gold prices posted their steepest weekly decline in over 14 years, tumbling 9.5% in the week to March 20. The slide was sparked by heightened uncertainty from the Iran‑Israel conflict, which paradoxically dampened gold’s safe‑haven appeal. A shifting Federal Reserve rate...
Indian spice exporters are confronting a sudden halt in US buyer outreach after the Iran war erupted, threatening a $500 million annual trade stream. The suspension of early‑year call‑ons has stalled order flow, while soaring freight, insurance and war‑risk surcharges inflate...
U.S. ground‑beef prices are poised to climb past $7.50 per pound as the Iran‑Iran war’s Strait of Hormuz blockade drives up diesel, fertilizer and corn feed costs. The national cattle herd has shrunk to 86.2 million head, the lowest level in...
Diesel retail prices jumped to $5.18 per gallon, up sharply from $3.81, while the cost of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) has remained flat around $4.30‑$4.60 per gallon. The raw material for DEF—urea—saw its benchmark price surge from $482.50 to $712.50...
Mexico currently sources about three‑quarters of its natural gas from the United States, importing over 7 billion cubic feet per day. President‑elect Claudia Sheinbaum announced a plan to cut that reliance dramatically, aiming to halve imports by 2030 through expanded domestic...
The US Senate introduced the bipartisan Fertilizer Transparency Act of 2026, requiring nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer manufacturers and wholesalers to report weekly prices and quantities to the USDA for public disclosure. The legislation, sponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar and...
Oil‑supply disruptions in the Middle East have pushed both conventional jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) prices higher, narrowing the premium that SAF traditionally commanded. In March, SAF in Western Europe traded around $2,500 per metric ton, down from...
The war between Israel and Iran has escalated into direct strikes on oil and gas infrastructure, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz and pushing crude prices above $100 a barrel. Missile attacks have damaged the South Pars gas field and...
Indian maize prices fell to ₹1,781 per quintal, about 30% below the minimum support price, prompting growers to reconsider crop choices for the upcoming kharif season. Despite record‑high projected maize output of 302.47 lakh tonnes, farmers are eyeing oilseeds and pulses...
Wholesale prices for fresh and dry vegetables surged nearly 50% in February, propelling the Producer Price Index (PPI) for final‑demand goods up 1.1% month‑over‑month—the fastest rise since August 2023. Overall wholesale food prices climbed 2.4%, with egg prices jumping over...
